Past the Point of No Return
'"Past the Point of No Return" '''is the third Special of the 2016 Specials and the 183rd episode overall. It was published on January 15, 2016. In the episode, Noah is stopped from making a fatal error, drastically changing the history of the royal family. The Episode ICICLE CREEK; PRINCESS SASHA'S BEDROOM THE DAY OF THE SEASON 3 FINALE; THE DAY NOAH DIED Noah collapsed. He opened his eyes after a while and stared up at the ceiling. There was no happiness left. Sasha hated him. He hated himself. His father would have hated him. But the man who raised him in Storybookland was not his father. Nothing made sense. Noah felt himself getting dizzy again. He pulled himself up from the floor. His hand met something on Sasha's bed. Something soft and silky. Her scarf. It smelled like her. But then Noah remembered his guilt. His sins. The pain and agony and horror. He pulled on the scarf, surprisingly sturdy. He looked up at the ceiling. The fan was moving ever so slowly. Round and round...round and round... Sasha sprinted down the hall. "NOAH!" she screamed, "NOAH WHERE ARE YOU?!" His bedroom was empty. Sasha veered around a corner and darted toward her own room. She burst inside. Noah's neck was surrounded by her scarf. Her scarf was attached to the ceiling fan. The ceiling fan dangled over a kicked-over chair. The chair was stained with blood. The blood was trickling down the floor toward her feet. She ran in at the exact moment he dropped. She seized a steak knife left on her dinner tray and leapt onto the bed as Noah's legs were kicking. Still alive. She reached up and sliced the scarf. Noah fell to the ground, coughing horribly. "Noah," Sasha said quietly, "You tried to kill yourself..." She looked at the bloodstains on the floor and back at Noah. His neck was not bleeding. His wrists were. Sasha slowly moved her eyes to the knife she just used to save his life. The blade was red. He had attempted to slit his wrists first. She dropped it to the floor and embraced Noah. Noah had still not said anything. He began crying into Sasha's shoulder. She just held him. She loved him. "Noah, why..." she said, "Why would you do this...?" she trailed off into her own sob. "I'm a monster," Noah whimpered. Sasha swallowed hard. "You are not," she said, pulling away to look into his bloodshot eyes, "You are incredible." Noah grabbed his wrists. Sasha hurried to her dresser and pulled gauze and tape from the first aid kit she brought with her to the Gingerbread Empire. In less than a minute, both hands were wrapped. "I can't live like this," Noah said, "I can't." "Like how?" Sasha asked. "As Noah," he said, "As the man who...killed Emilio. Who...got with his sister...I can't..." "Half-sister," Sasha said, "I only just found out. We share a mother, but your father is the former Emperor of the Gingerbread Empire." Noah sighed. "That almost makes up for it," he said, "But you know I can't go on." Sasha let out a cry. "You c-can't die!" she wailed, "I love you!" "Sasha," he said, "Just leave me..." "NO!" Sasha said, "I will not." She stood and pulled Noah to his feet. Her mind was spinning wildly. "I'm going to give you a new life," she said, "A new identity. I'll tell the guards you died in here. It already looks like you hanged yourself. I'll tell them I cut you down and we'll transport you out on a gurney. To your new life." "Sasha..." Noah began, but Sasha was not going to hear of it. "Noah you have done amazing things in your life. You saved me from Thicket Woods. You came with me to the Gingerbread Empire. You turned on Castor and Pollux. You redeemed yourself. All you have to do is embrace yourself. You don't have to live as the fifth child of the Queen of Fantasyland. You can live as yourself." Noah hugged Sasha and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I want to still be able to see you," he said, "I don't have to be with you, but I can't live without you." "We can live near each other," Sasha said, "I was going to move somewhere in this Empire anyway. We'll go together. As friends." "Thank you," Noah said, "You saved me." "And you saved me," Sasha said, "Consider us even." Sasha straightened. "My family is still in danger in Fantasyland. I have to go save them." "Oh no..." Noah said, "Take this." He handed Sasha his gun. "I couldn't use it on myself...it's the same one that...Emilio..." "It's okay," Sasha said, taking the weapon, "Stay here. Look lifeless. I'll be right back. And then...we'll get you a new identity." ICICLE CREEK EIGHT HOURS LATER Sasha met Noah, now a ghost, presumed dead, behind the palace as the clocks struck 11:00am. The magnificent gingerbread building was adorned in thousands of black drapes, the Empire in mourning for its fallen Emperor. "Oh God..." Noah said when Sasha broke him the news, "This is partly my fault..." "Stop saying that," Sasha demanded, "The fact that you're remorseful means you've changed. That's what's important." "Is it?" Noah lambasted, "I think we're wasting time, Sasha. There's no way I can escape unknown." "Did you even go to the funeral this morning?" Sasha said, "You were 'buried' with full honors. As a royal child and a hero." "I'm not a hero," Noah said. "You can still live with us," Sasha said, "I love you. Niall will love you. Harvey and Grant will love you. Everyone will." "No," Noah said, "I need to go someplace else..." "I'm going to 9 Gingerbread Lane," Sasha said, "With my Keepers." Noah's eyes nearly exploded. "YOUR KEEPERS?!" he shouted, causing several heads to turn. He quickly looked frightened. "Won't people recognize me?" "No modern pictures of you exist. And everyone thinks you're dead. So no." "Fine," Noah said, "What is this about you living with your Keepers?" Sasha waved her hand. "They're actually not assholes. I'm going to live with them so I can get to know them better. You're welcome to join us." Noah smiled. "9GL sounds lovely, but I need my own home. My own identity." He paused. "I've chosen a name." "You have?" Sasha said, smiling, "That's wonderful! What is it? Please don't make me hate it." "Well," Noah said, "It honors two people. The Emperor and my father. My real father. From now on, you can call me Eddie." Sasha beamed. "I love it! Last name?" "Eddie Blue," Noah said, "I thought it was nice." "It is," Sasha said, "I'm excited for you!" She took his hand. "Shall we?" He nodded and followed her to a waiting car. 9 GINGERBREAD LANE TWO YEARS LATER, DURING THE GHOST GENOCIDE Noah sighed as he signed another unemployment form. 9 Gingerbread Lane's Department of Unassigned Workers was empty as usual. It seemed Noah was the only person in the entire district that could not find a job. "Quiet today," Noah told the clerk as he handed in his forms. "Well," the clerk said, yawning, "Everyone's probably inside their own homes so they don't vanish like the other districts." Noah nodded. He thanked the clerk and left. "Have a good one, Eddie," she said. Noah was finally getting used to his new name and new life. But life in 9GL was too tempting. Especially with Sasha so close. Today, he was supposed to be meeting Sasha outside the Department of Unassigned Workers building to go over a few more final details of his move to Erut Nevda. In the past two years, Empress Niall I had made extraordinary progress in focusing efforts on the reforestation of the Erut Nevda jungles after a terrible volcanic eruption decimated the area. It would not be easy, and Noah thought he could be a valuable asset to the project. Sasha, naturally, wholeheartedly approved. She was starting to see someone else. Someone named Brandon. He heard from his mailman that Brandon was Gallifreyan's brother and the Empress's adopted brother. It was an odd feeling for Noah. He hated seeing Sasha with another man, but he knew it was impossible for him to be with her. So why would he be jealous? You can't be jealous of what you can never have. Only sad. Noah checked his watch and scanned the streets. They were deserted. And Sasha was no where in sight. The clerk knocked on the window from inside. She beckoned Noah inside. "Phone call for you," she said heavily, "From...Princess Sasha." Noah snatched the phone. "Sasha? Hey, are you okay?" The clerk gave him an incredulous look. She must have wondered how he could be so candid with the royalty. "I mean, is there anything I can help you with, your majesty?" "I renounced my title," Sasha said, "You don't have to say any of that." "Is everything okay?" Noah asked again. "No," Sasha said, "10GL just vanished. 9 is next. We're evacuating everyone to Tsereve under Icicle Creek. But listen...I've arranged for your transport to Erut Nevda. There is a tribe in the North that is willing to take you in. There are four other citizens there. You'll be happy. It's everything we could have hoped for..." "I won't see you again," Noah said, "This is..." "Noah, I know how you feel and to be honest, I still feel the same. But we can't and we've agreed to that. With Katarina wreaking havoc and destroying every district, I can't bear to lose you." "Does anyone know?" Noah asked after a pause, "About me?" Sasha almost laughed. "Not a soul, Eddie." "Where do I catch this transport?" Noah said with a smile. ERUT NEVDA FOUR YEARS LATER "Postcard from VMK," Nadiya, a fellow Gingerbread Empire volunteer, said to Eddie. "Thanks," Eddie said, flipping the postcard over. The reconstructed Petal Castle gleamed brightly on the front. It was in the process of being renamed to Rose Castle after the fallen Queen of Fantasyland. The back of the postcard was blank except for a small signature from Sasha. "You know the Princess," Nadiya said with fascination, sitting next to Eddie on a wooden crate. She pulled her black hair to one side of her head, combing it absent-mindedly with her fingers. "She's not a Princess anymore," Eddie said, "She renounced her title years ago." "I know," Nadiya said with a nudge at Eddie, "But she still has that royal blood." Eddie stood and brushed the dirt off the back of his pants. "We're old friends," he said to Nadiya. She shrugged. "Your secrets can remain yours," she said, "I won't pry. I was just curious at first." Eddie looked down at the postcard. "Have you been to VMK yet?" he asked. "No," Nadiya said, "Not yet. I came here right before the end of the Genocide." "Me neither," Eddie said, pacing, "I really want to...but..." Nadiya stood and put her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything else," she said, "I can see you're troubled. Come on...let's go find some elephant dung." "Lovely," Eddie said, laughing. They set off for the forest, a small crate in each hand. As they approached the clearing, Nadiya stopped Eddie. "Do you want to go?" she asked, her green eyes full of something. Hope? Empathy? "Yes," Eddie said, "One day." She nodded and walked ahead of him. Eddie stared after her. One day... Production Promotion The trailer for "Past the Point of No Return" was released on January 14, 2016. It is at the right. It explains the upcoming episode will surround the events detailing Noah's survival of his own suicide in ''Fantasyland. The line "A storm of horror" is a reference to the episode that began Noah's rampant depression, "Storm of Horror" following his murder of Emilio Santilli in "Thud." The music used is from The Phantom of the Opera. The first two verses are from "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer." The final verse, starting with "Storytime Presents" is from the song "Point of No Return," which is also the source of this episode's title. Continuity and Story Arcs The first scene is taken verbatim from "Gemini," the third season episode in which Noah supposedly committed suicide. However, in what has not been seen before, Sasha ran in earlier than it was last depicted. She cut Noah out of his noose as soon as he kicked over the chair, effectively managing to save him. In order to save Noah and rid him of his guilt, Sasha orchestrated a new life for him and a new identity. To do this, they faked his death. Sasha informed Noah that she was going to move back in with her Keepers, having just learned they were amiable. Noah chose the name Eddie Blue as his new alias, a tribute to his father, Edward IV. This name was the one he was using in Erut Nevda in "The Rabbit Whisperer." In the latter half of the episode, the Ghost Genocide is occurring. 10GL just disappeared and 9GL is next. This puts the episode at the same time as "Xerxes." Sasha began seeing Brandon. In the final scene, VMK has been created and Gallifreyan is President. Because her tenure is not over, the previously-known-as Petal Castle is being renamed Rose Castle after Queen Rose. References There are many tie-ins to the episodes "Gemini" and "Chaos." Trivia *The episode title is derived from the ''Phantom of the Opera ''song, "Point of No Return." *The music used in the intro is "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae. It is the first intro to feature lyrics. *This is one of the few episodes to take place in the three eras of the main Storytime arc (during Fantasyland, during the Ghost Genocide, and after the creation of VMK). Category:Episodes Category:Specials Category:2016 Specials